Ron DeSantis talks illegal immigration crackdown in Texas border town

Ron DeSantis began his week in Eagle Pass, Texas, calling attention to issues at the Mexican border.

“No excuses on this. Get the job done. Make it happen,” DeSantis said, promising that immigration enforcement would be a “Day 1 priority” if he’s elected President.

DeSantis has made messaging about Joe Biden border policies central to his rhetorical appeals in the state and has taken those arguments national since launching his 2024 bid.

In Monday’s remarks, the Governor rolled out his latest in a series of attempts to address border issues.

“I look at the issue of the border,” DeSantis said, as more than a “Texas problem.”

“When you don’t have control of the border, that’s an American problem,” the Governor added.

DeSantis noted fentanyl presented one example of the problems presented by “illegal aliens,” whose “burdens on the community” extend to medical care and the criminal justice system.

“People act like these are Mexicans coming in … there are people from halfway around the world coming through this southern border,” DeSantis said, noting Tajiks, Libyans, Chinese, “criminal aliens,” and “members of the terrorist watch list” have come through in recent years.

DeSantis described Florida as a “maritime border state,” criticizing the Coast Guard for “dumping people in the Florida Keys.”

Addressing the issue of “asylum,” DeSantis said the concept was under “abuse,” saying people come from South America through various countries to get to the U.S. He vowed “executive action” to stop the process, estimating “90% of these cases aren’t legitimate,” and claiming people could “wait in Mexico” for adjudication.

DeSantis also suggested states should be able to “send people back” without federal immigration enforcement, pledging to “fully deputize” states. He also took a stance against the “virtue signaling” of “sanctuary cities,” vowing to “turn the screws” on them so that it “pays to follow the law” and noting that Florida taxpayers pay to ship undocumented immigrants currently.

The Governor vowed to “build the wall,” noting the current construction allows for illegal entry and said governments should “use force to repel them.”

“If you do that one time, they will never do it again,” DeSantis said to scattered applause.

The Governor also vowed to “kneecap the cartels” to stem the drug problem he says undocumented immigrants bring over the border.

Audience members peppered the Governor with questions, including about whether the border “invasion” was an “act of war.” DeSantis vowed his administration would respond “robustly.”

He vowed to use “deadly force” via the U.S. military when asked during a news conference after his campaign event, saying that if some “cartel operatives” got “dropped,” it would change their attitude. He was asked about incursions into Mexico but did not answer that part of the question directly.